Canadians Fed Up with their Wages

Canadians are fed up and they’re not going to take it anymore. This is what a survey found when it comes to how workers in our country feel about their wages.

Despite a growing economy and job opportunity, wages have remained stagnant in most industries across the country. Workers are frustrated, rightfully so, and want change.

The survey found that 83 per cent of Canadians are dissatisfied with their pay. A lot of this has to do with the rising cost of living in the country. Food costs are going up and there are rising interest rates that are hitting families hard.

And Canadians are prepared to do something about their stagnant wages. They’re going to their employers to get the raises they deserve.

Over half of respondents said they were asking for a raise. The average ask is for just under $12,000 more per year, with Millennials most likely to ask.

The main reasons for the raise request are because Canadians say they’ve earned it by their performance, by taking on extra responsibilities without an increase in pay and because it’s long overdue.

If you have been dedicated to a job and are going the extra mile you deserve to be paid for it. An employer should care about the health, welfare and well-being of their employees, but unfortunately, this is becoming rare.

Not surprisingly, the survey found that many requests have been denied and for a variety of reasons. Employees have been told there isn’t enough budget, they haven’t been at the company long enough and some were given no reason at all. The one constant is that women are denied more often than men.

So why are wages so stagnant?

There are a number of factors, but one of the main reasons is the decline of unions. Unions change the balance of power in favour of employees when dealing with employers. Unions set the bar for wages for industries for decades, and as unions started to decline so did the increase in wages. Without a union standing up for employees in the workplace, employers have not felt the pressure to increase wages.

Another reason is the growth of the gig economy. Employers are much more likely to hire contract or gig workers for positions that they used to hire full-time employees. There is also a wave of baby boomers retiring who are being replaced by millennials that employers are paying lower wages.

Canadians deserve to be fed up with their pay and should do something about it. If you are a hard worker, you should be paid like it and not left falling behind the cost of living.

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